Nevada County picayune., 1887-02-02

us, duu ds we Hdu never SeeL Oie, quite a number of us concluded that we would run down to the river bank and see what they looked like. As it happened just as we got sight of the gunboats they got sight of us, and by way of greeting sent us sh eel. This shell burst before it half reached us, but it was the first shell we had ever seen explode, and besides we had all idea at that time that If a siieel from q gunboat exploded anywhere within half d mile of you, you were d goner, and so we unan- imously and lnstantaneously con cluded that gunboat was not much of a sight anyhow, and in stantly acting on that conclusion, we precipitately withdrew to the shelter of the woods, and paid very little attention to the order of our going. We had hardly got to our places in the ranks when d second shell exploded with a tremendous report. q short distance in the rear of our company. About half the regiment broke ranks,
 
 MYSELF AMONG THE LrVELIEST,
 and jumped behind trees. Lieut.. Col. Anderson, who commanded Us. ordered us back into line and gave us sharp lecture, and that was the first and last time our reg iment ever showed trepidation un- der fire. The gunboats continued smelling the woods during the day, and there was some lively skirmish- ing III our front, but no general en- gagement. The shells from the gunboats made tremendous noise, obut as they did no harm we soon got used to them, and some of the boys even went so far as to laugh and joke at them. Still we didn't like that style Ot tighilug-it didn't give us any chanre to distinguish ourselves. About an hour before sundown we were ordered to fall back to our works. Our works consisted of a fort Ia poor affair." on the north bank of the Arkansas river, with rifle pits running from the fort in a northerly direction. The armament of the fort consisted of three large smooth bore cannon, l believe l20-pOunders. The only artillery we had besides these can. non was one battery of six-pound- CTS of six pieces. There Were Ob- structions placed in the river q short distance below the fort, but it seemed that..the officers captured on the Blue Wing No. ?, knew tue opening, aud the instructions did not amount to anything. Our reg iment being the right of the bri gade took position next to the fort. About 9 o'clock p. m. the gunbOats came within range and opened Il tremendous fire upon us. With the exception of the next day We were never under as heavy can nonade. There were seven iron. clads and two wooden gunbOats playing upon us. The sight was grand and magnificent beyond de- scription. There was no moon and, the night being dark, the burn- ing fuses of tue shells, as they flashed oyer us. left in their wake streams of light, giving the appear ance as though the heavens were filled with flying meteOrs, and eli maxed by the matlnilicent specta- cle of the bursting shells, the whole accompanied by the grand, yet terrible music of the booming cannon. It was n scene never to be forgotten, but it was one in which distance would have lent enchantment to the view" l have no doubt that, had l been on an eminence some ten or twenty miles away, l would have appre- ciated it as it deserved; but, under the circumstances, 1 was not yearn- ing after grand vie WIS, my princi- pal anxiety being to keep my body as close AS possible to the
 BOTTOM OF THE DITCH.
 This dreadful artillery fire re- suited in the killing of most of our artillery horses, but did no other damage that 1 know of Oar fort, of course, returned the fire oi tue gunboats. In about two hours the unnboats withdrew and we were iubilant, thinking our forts had knocked the daylights out of them.